Fairfax County is searching for a consultant to poke holes in its security system for courts, jails, police stations, libraries, offices and other government buildings in the hopes of better protecting its more than 13,000 employees.
Procurement officials sent out a request for proposals this week for a firm to take over the county’s ongoing review of its own security from a prior consultant. Besides exploring building vulnerabilities, the company would delve into how the county protects information technology, and find ways to standardize employee access, said Cathy Muse, director of the Department of Purchasing and Supply Management.
The overall security of county buildings took center stage after a lone gunman stormed the parking lot of the Sully District police station in May 2006 and fatally shot two officers before being killed by police. But Muse said reviews of county security were taking place even before the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
“The things that happened at Sully and the shooting at Virginia Tech, all those things lead us to continue to look at security assessments, and continue to look at them in a different light,” Muse said. “Ongoing security evaluations are just part of the deal now.”
The request for proposals says the county needs a consultant to conduct a “threat and risk assessment analysis, physical security assessments, technical reviews during all stages of development for new or renovated facilities, security recommendations and security education services.”
Fairfax County government owns or leases more than 200 facilities.
